Maize millers caution ugali lovers as they have stock that can last them 10 days before they run out of maize. Cereal millers have therefore raised the red flag on the limited amount of quality maize available in the market, warning of a price hike if nothing is done to arrest the situation.
However, the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) Chief Executive Newton Terer dismissed the millers’ claim and cites stocks of over two million bags in Government stores. “There is maize. We have over 2 million bags which are good,” explained Terer. But if the millers are saying the truth, a price hike will hurt millions of poor Kenyans who can’t go for a day without a taste of their precious dish of ugali, the country’s staple food.
Currently, a packet of 2kg maize flour is retailing at between Sh 90 and Sh 102 in major retail outlets. At this price, a number of Kenyans are forced to dig deeper into their pockets for maize flour even as they grapple with a steep rise in the cost of living. The millers said that they currently hold seven to ten days of grain stock of maize, about 500,000 bags. They also noted that they have been operating at below capacity.
They said that they were currently operating at 39 per cent and 53 per cent capacity. “We are living from hand to mouth. I don’t have any maize,” said Cereal Millers Association (CMA) chairman and CEO of Unga Ltd Nick Hutchinson.
The revelation comes just months before the country heads to a general election and it’s not clear whether the alarm raised is deliberately calculated to create a crisis and open the local market to cheap imports. In the past, proceeds of maize and sugar imports have been used by politically-connected business persons to fund their candidates of choice.